Chapter 2

Question 1

List and explain the purpose and procedures in reviewing the literature

Answer 1

• You have an idea for a research problem
• Before you can design a study that will contribute to psychological knowledge, you need to have a good idea of what is already known. (see below for researching)
• Skim through to get a birds eye view of what is already known
• Hone in
• Once you have identified and found most of the key articles in your field, you should begin to read them.

Question 2

Article reading process

Answer 2

• What are the major unsolved problems?
• Read the abstract and the conclusion, if there is one, to learn the basic results.
• Skim the rest. Check the reference list for articles you may have missed.
• You will find that certain studies are the key ones in the field.
• After this initial review, you can begin to focus on the methods of these key experiments.
• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• you will find that there are unsolved problems, theories to be tested, and conflicting results to be resolved. These may give you an idea for your own study.

Question 3

proposal is

Answer 3

preliminary statement outlining the literature review, statement of the problem, research design, and expected results and their significance

Question 4

sections of a proposal

Answer 4

• The introduction section of a research proposal should explain your reasons for wanting to perform the experiment.
• Why is the study important?
• The introduction should explain the relevant theories and background literature as they relate to your specific problem.
• How does the previous literature suggest that your experiment is a good idea?
• What would each of the theories predict as the answer to your hypothesis?
• The method section explains the way in which you want to test your hypothesis
• can you actually find a solution to your problem by testing the hypothesis in this particular way?
• The results section of the proposal indicates the expected results and the ways in which you intend to analyze and display them graphically.
• The discussion section of the proposal is short and indicates the significance of your expected results

Question 5

Guidelines for Evaluating Information from the Internet

Answer 5

Authorship

author’s credentials? The Publishing Body

Point of View

Connection to the Literature

Verifiability

Currency